Graft convict Gayus Tambunan, who was convicted of accepting a $3.5 million bribe from several companies to help them shrink their tax bills in 2010, will receive a sentence cut in commemoration of the Idul Fitri holiday.

"Gayus is getting [a sentence reduction]," said Bambang Krisbanu, the acting director general for penitentiary affairs.

Bambang, however, declined to give more details about the sentence cut.

Gayus last year received a four-month sentence cut to mark Idul Fitri.

Bambang said that this year 54,396 prisoners will receive reductions in their prison terms.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has come under heavy public criticism for granting sentence reductions to graft convicts, and opponents have argued that graft convicts and those found guilty of terrorism should not be eligible to receive them.

Gayus, whose full name is Gayus Halomoan Partahanan Tambunan, is in total serving a 20 year sentence over several graft and bribery charges.

He was convicted of accepting bribes from businessmen who wanted to evade tax payments and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Gayus was also found guilty of bribing a National Police investigator and a Tangerang District Court chairman.

Additionally, he was proven guilty of giving false testimony regarding the origin of the Rp 28 billion ($2.7 million) found in his bank accounts, through a fictitious letter of agreement, and ordered to serve another eight years in jail.